


Tenth of Her Name

by Jadealiya



Series: Link + Zelda 30kisses Challenge [12]
Category: The Legend of Zelda
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-23
Updated: 2013-09-23
Packaged: 2017-12-27 09:30:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/977175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jadealiya/pseuds/Jadealiya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The name "Zelda" has a long and storied history.  A Princess of Hyrule considers the implications of her name.  Written for the 30kisses challenge - Theme #10 "#10."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tenth of Her Name

The Princess carefully unrolled the scroll and secured its ends on her desk. Link leaned over her shoulder, squinting at the small formal text that clung to the lines and brackets etched over the ancient parchment. “What’s that?”

“The dynastic line. My genealogy.” Skimming the maze outlining her family’s history, the Princess brushed her finger across an empty space near the far side of the tree. “When I am crowned next week, my name will be entered here, under my late father’s…”

If her friend noticed the small catch in her voice, he did not speak of it. Instead, Link leaned against the desk, smiling slowly. “I see. And I’m sure you, being a responsible monarch-to-be, have already picked the name that will be inscribed there.”

The Princess grimaced, forcing back thoughts of her recent loss. There had been time enough for her grief; she had decisions to which she must attend. “Not yet. But I must decide shortly. The chancellor will have my head if I continue to delay.”

Link nodded, folding his arms casually against his chest. “Alright then. Talk it out. Pretend I’m an idiot who doesn’t understand the problem.”

The Princess smiled, glancing back at Link with a delicately raised eyebrow. “Precious little imagination needed for that, my friend.”

Link grinned. “Seriously, though. Go over the problem. It might seem a little easier to solve when you talk it through.”

The Princess hesitated a moment, ordering her thoughts. The situation was unique in Hyrule’s history, as far as she knew. “When I was born, my mother lived long enough to name me Zelda, as dictated by tradition. I have been told she was very proud of our kingdom’s history and did not want to betray expectations. If I keep that name, I will be honoring her memory and be the tenth Queen Zelda to reign as monarch of Hyrule. That goes a long way towards solidifying my rule in the eyes of the public and keeping everyone happy.”

Link nodded. “Alright. And choice number two?”

The Princess leaned back in her chair, frowning at the ceiling. ”Choice number two is the name I have always used. My father strongly objected to my mother’s decision. He did not override it since it has been her dying request, but he insisted on granting me a second name; Soliarana, after his mother. He believed the name Zelda had become an ill-omen for Hyrule. Every time a Zelda has assumed the throne, the kingdom has gone to war. He felt that to allow me to assume the name of my ancestors was inviting disaster.”

Link uncrossed his arms and grabbed the back of her chair, looking down at her upturned face. “So…the name Zelda brings about war? That’s kind of silly. Besides, say what you will about my education, but I’m fairly certain Hyrule hasn’t been to war that many times.”

“Not all of the wars were well documented. But that is the pattern. I have no desire to be the tenth Zelda to see her kingdom undermined by violence.” Zelda stood, toying with one of her bracelets and pacing around Link. “Besides, My father was not alone in his thinking. If I take the name Zelda it may well cause the populace to panic. I know it was my father’s wish to avoid such tension…but to break tradition so drastically could have the same effect. And my mother…to ignore a dying declaration, the name she was so proud to grant me. Link, I really do not know what to do.”

Link shook his head, depositing himself in the now unoccupied chair. “Soli. Princess. You’re over thinking this. Stop analyzing. Go with your gut. You’re good at that.”

The Princess paused her pacing, letting his words sink in. He was right, of course. Her friend had a remarkable gift for showing her the best approach to solving such problems. Closing her eyes, she considered the options. Her parents couldn’t be a factor since they held contrasting views. Either name would elicit a mixed reaction from her people. She had to choose the name that most resonated with her, that best represented who she wanted to be.

Link watched her, waiting.

After a few moments the Princess opened her eyes. She walked between Link and the desk, carefully picking up the scroll. “I will remain Soli to those closest to me, for that is the name of my heart and inner self, but Hyrule needs a Zelda on the throne. If the Goddesses have deemed that there will be war during my reign, the Queen’s name should be a warning to the people…and a caution to our enemies. Hyrule has seen dark days, but has never been vanquished while a woman of my name sat the throne.”

Laughter and the sound of clapping greeted the Princess’s impromptu proclamation. Link quickly jumped to his feet, assuming a properly respectful distance from his ruler as Zelda spun around. The chancellor stood in the doorway, grinning and clapping, shadowed by a man in elegant robes who Zelda did not know.

“Oh, Highness, I am so glad to hear you have decided!” The chancellor practically skipped as he entered the room. “Queen Zelda of Hyrule – Tenth of her name!” I will inform the heralds immediately…have the appropriate proclamations written up. Goodness, there is still so much to finish.” Taking the scroll from the Princess’ hands, the Chancellor walked over to one of the bookshelves lining the wall.

“Thank you Chancellor. I am confident you will have everything ready for the coronation.” Zelda turned to study the man who had entered with the Chancellor. He paced slowly in the room, returning Zelda’s gaze and sparing her a small half-smile. Something in his stance made her uneasy. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Link was tense, his hand twitching awkwardly near his belt where he normally wore a blade.

The man seemed unaware of their unease, pausing a respectful distance from the Princess and holding out his hand. “Your Highness. I must say I applaud your decision.”

Schooled in protocol and etiquette from her earliest days, the Princess responded automatically by placing her hand in his. “I am glad to hear it, sir, though curious as to why. In the end, it is only a name.”

The man inclined his head, drawing her hand to his lips with a smile. “Indeed. But, Princess, you will always be ‘Zelda’ to me. Calling you anything else would have been…unnecessarily complicated.”

Watching as the man kissed her hand, the Princess tried to pinpoint the source of her unease and the man’s obvious familiarity. The loomed specter of her coronation and the struggle over choosing her name suddenly seemed inconsequential.

Link stepped between them, fixing the man with a hard stare.

The Chancellor came over as well, carefully holding a pile of books with the dynastic genealogy balanced on top. “Ahh, forgive me Highness! This is Lord Dragmire, of the desert reaches. Come for the coronation.”

Lord Dragmire released the Princess’ hand, smirking in amusement at Link. “Indeed. I am here for a coronation. But there will be plenty of time to better make each other’s acquaintance. For now, I will leave you to your planning.” Still keeping his eyes on Link, the man inclined his head and left the room.

The Chancellor began outlining the documents he needed the Princess to sign before the ceremony.

The Princess didn’t hear a word he said, looking instead at Link. He grimaced, watching the empty doorway with concern before looking back at Zelda.

“I think…” he said slowly “you chose the right name, Your Highness…”

**Author's Note:**

> After Ocarina of Time was released, the role playing chat rooms on AOL (Rhy'din/Red Dragon Inn/I know I'm dating myself here >.>) exploded with Zelda RP. A group of us slowly started to solidify into a regular guild and wove some truly in depth story lines. At the guild's height, my sister and I would rush home from school and log into the computer to find out what had happened in Hyrule that day. In some ways, guiding portions of the story as Zelda was my first experience running a game and an early foray into writing. I treasure those memories and very much wanted one of these prompts to be a reflection of our take on the Zelda universe.
> 
> So, this one is for all the PoH/AoH RPers back in the day. JD, Lance, Karen, Ben, Jess, Erin, Tony, and everyone else who made playing in Hyrule so exciting, thank you for the good times. Here is a little bit of Soli's backstory (and my take on what the name "Zelda" must come to mean in Hyrule after so many iterations of the tale...)


End file.
